Automatic alarm-clock.



v T. B. STEPHENSON. AUTOMATIC ALARM CLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 8. 1915.

Patented May 2, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET| fave/770:.

Mfr 755555.

T. B. STEPHENSON. I

AUTOMATIC ALARM CLOCK.

APPLICAHON FILED 0618,1915.

Patented May 2, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

Mfr/755555: fave/770::

THE COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH c0., \vAsHlNa'roNfn. c.

"UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS B. STEPHENSON, OF FORESTVILLE, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE SESSIONS CLOCK COMPANY, OF FORESTVILLE,

CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION.

AUTOMATIC ALARM-CLOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented llIay 2, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS B. STEr InN- soN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Forestville, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Alarm-Clocks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in automatic alarm clocks, and the obyect of my improvement is simplicity and economy in construction and convenience and efliciency in use.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a front elevation in part broken away of my improved automatic alarm clock. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a front elevation on an enlarged scale of the interior portion. Fig. 4; is a rear elevation of the same. Fig. 5 is a front elevation, on a still further enlarged scale, of a part of the same. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 7 is a plan View with the parts in a different position. Fig. 8 is a plan view on the same scale as Fig. 3 of the blank for the alarm cam spring. Fig. 9 is a rear elevation of the cam stud member and connected parts. Fig. 10 is a plan view of the same.

My improved automatic alarm clock comprises a casing 10 in which is housed clock mechanism for operating the time indicating devices and for operating the alarm, which mechanism may be generally ordinary, and with which I incorporate special means for checking and resetting the alarm to be described. The said mechanism serves to operate the alarm at the time for which the said alarm is set, and by momentarily depressing the spring supported push button 11, shown in Fig. 1, the ringing of the alarm is checked, and the same remains checked until the time has elapsed for another sounding of the alarm, by which time the ring ng devices are free to operate and the operation mentioned may be repeated.

The alarm mechanism comprises the usual escapement wheel 12 which operates in cooperation with the pallet member 13, mounted on the pallet shaft 14:. The operatlon of the alarm is effected by the usual cam members, comprising the cam disk 15, slidably mounted on the cam shaft 16, and the cam stud 17, rotatively mounted on the said cam shaft 16. The cam stud 17 rotates in a fixed plane. The cam disk 15 opposed to the cam stud 17 has a plane face for the greater part of the circumference and for an appreciable portion of the said circumference has a cam groove 18 in registration with the path of the said stud 17. The cam groove 18 comprises a step at one end, into which the stud 17 drops, and inclines from the said step outwardly to the general surface of the disk. The cam disk 15 is maintained in contact with the stud 17 as is usual in such devices, so that for the greater part of the rotary movement of the stud the cam disk is held in essentially the same position and when the stud is in registration with the groove 18 the cam disk is moved from such position bodily along the cam shaft 16. The means fOr holding the cam disk 15 in engagement with the cam stud 17 comprise the cam s ring 19. The said cam spring 19 is of sheet material; it is rigidly secured by one end to the frame 20 in some suitable manner, as by means of the screw 21; extends across the cam shaft 16, being provided with a recess 22 to receive the said shaft 16; and is in bearing engagement with suitable sliding devices 23 mounted on the cam shaft 16, which sliding devices are operatively connected with the cam disk 15 in the usual manner. Accordingly, the cam disk 15 and the portion of the cam spring 19 crossing the cam shaft 16 have a to and fro movement along the cam shaft 16 responsive to the cooperation of the cam members 15 and 17.

The alarm pallet shaft 14 is provided with a plurality of generally radial arms, there being three such arms as shown, comprising a hammer arm 241, which is provided with a hammer 25 at the free end, suitable for operating on the gong, a cam spring arm 26 that is engaged by the cam spring 19 in a manner to be described; and alatch arm 27 that is engaged by a latch 28. The cam spring 19 is of appreciable width and has the free end divided by a cut suitably to provide two fingers, comprising as shown the upper finger 29 that is in direct extension of the body portion, and the lower finger 30 that is bent at right angles to the body portion, being also at right angles to the cam spring arm 26. The lower finger 30 is of suitable length and suitably positioned to extend over the cam spring arm 26 in one of its limited positions and to prevent the free movement thereof and to clear the same when in the other limited position. The first limited position mentioned corresponds to the position of non-operation of the alarm, when the cam stud 17 is out of engagement with the cam slot 18 and the other limited position corresponds to such position of engagement of the said cam members. Thus the cam members through the medium of the lower finger 30 serve either to prevent or to permit the operation of the pallet member and the ringing of the alarm according to the particular relative position of the said cam member.

The latch 28 is generally in the form of a rod, slidably mounted in ways formed by holes 31 in the arms 32 of a U-shaped yoke 33, suitably supported from the frame 20, the said rod being directed in line with the push button 11. A latch spring 36 tends to hold the latch 28 in elevated position, so that the upper end thereof is in abutment with the lower end of the said push button 1.1. The latch 28 is preferably made of sheet metal, and the holes 31 fit the same, so that the latch is non-rotatively positioned. On the rear edge the latch 28 is provided with a nose 3-4 and an arm 35. The nose 84 is positioned adjacent the upper finger 29, suitably to engage therewith in one of the limited positions thereof and has an inclined edge on the rear and lower side and on the upper side is at a right angle to the general line of the edge, suitably for serving as a holding tooth in engagement with the lower edge of the upper finger 29. In one of the limited positions of the cam spring 19 and the upper finger 29 the nose 34 is clear of the said upper finger 29 and in the other of the limited positions thereof the said nose 34 is in line therewith, and normally above the same. When in this last named position, by depressing the latch 28, as by means of the push button 11, the inclined face of the nose 34- serves to momentarily push the upper finger 29 to one side until the holding edge of the nose 34 has been brought below the same when the upper finger 29 snaps back into engaging position with the nose 84, and will be held in such position when the finger is released from the push button 11. The latch 28 will thus be held in the depressed position. The lateral arm 35 on the latch 28 extends over the radial latch arm 27 on the pallet shaft 14, and is so positioned that when the said latch is in the elevated position the radial. arm 27 is free from engagement with the lateral arm 35, so that there will be no checking of the ringing of the alarm, and when the latch is in the lower position described the lateral arm 35 is positioned in engagement with the radial latch arm 27 so as to hold the pallet member 13 from operating and thereby preventing the operation of the alarm. The

particular limited position of the 19 in which the nose 34 is in line with the upper finger 29 with which the same cooperates corresponds to that in which the cam stud 17 is engaged with the cam groove 18, and which is the position in which the lower finger 50 is disengaged from the cam spring arm 26, so that the latch device 28 may be used to check the alarm when the cam spring arm 26 serves to permit the alarm to operate. Thus it will be noted that the cam spring alarm controlling device involving the use of the lower finger 30 serves normally as the alarm controlling means to start the alarm at the time for which the sane is adjusted or set and after the same has operated to start the alarm the sounding of the alarm may be checked by means of the latch device, involving the use of the latch 28, and operated by means of the push button 11, the atter being exposed on the outside of the casing, and readily accessible for use. After the usual period provided for during which the sounding of the alarm may be continued unless intentionally checked the cam spring 19 is brought back to its position. for checking the alarm, the lower arm 30 being brought across the cam spring arm 26 and at the same time the upper finger 29 slipped-oft from engagement with the nose 34, when the latch spring 36 restores the latch 28 to the normal, elevated position. A third alarm controlling means for checking the ringing of the alarm is provided in the form of a swinging catch 37 that engages with the hammer arm 24. The said catch 37 is generally S-shaped, being pivotally mounted. on the frame 20 by means of its middle or body portion, as by the screw 38, and having at one end a rearwardly engaging branch 39 that serves as an ope ating handle, suitable for being engaged by the finger, and having at the other end a second branch 40 that extends across the hammer arm 24. When swung to one position the second branch 40 engages with the hammer arm 24 and prevents the operation of the same, thus preventing the sounding of the alarm, and when swung away from such position the hammer arm 24 is free to operate. Thus it will be noted that the free end portion of the cam spring is provided with two separate and independent means for checking the ringing of the alarm, one of which is a latch device that is provided with means for being operated from the outside of the casing, and a third means for checking the alarm is provided, which last named means is independent of the said cam spring.

The cam spring 19, secured to the frame 20 by the screw 21 as described, extends generally horizontally across the interior so that the movement of the active portion cam spring thereof is in a horizontal plane, and the i portion of the cam spring arm 26 that engages with the rearwardly directed lower finger 30 and also the said finger 30 itself are also directed horizontally, these parts crossing when engaged at a right angle.

As the mlddle of the top of the casing 10 is preempted by the ring supporting devices, these parts being in their usual position, I locate the push-button 11 to one side of the said middle, as shown in Figs. 1 and I provide a separate latch arm 27 on the alarm pallet shaft 14L for engaging with the latch 28.

I claim as my invention 1. In an alarm clock, a pallet shaft operated by the alarm train, a pair of radial arms comprising a cam spring arm and alatch arm supported by the said pallet shaft, means operated by the time train for engaging and releasing the said cam spring arm comprising a cam spring, and a latch for checking the said alarm train, the said cam spring being fixedly supported by one end and having a finger in extension of: the free end portion, the said latch comprising a sliding member provided with a nose for engaging with the said finger and a lateral arm for engaging with the said latch arm, and a push-button mounted on the casing for operating the said latch.

2. In an alarm clock, cooperating cam members operated by the time train for setting oil the alarm, a cam spring rigidly supported by one end, engaged with one of the said cam members by its body portion, and having a limited to and fro movement therewith, the other end of: the said cam spring being divided to provide two fingers, one of the said fingers being bent to one side to form a lateral arm and the other of the said fingers being in alinement with the said body portion, a shaft supportinga pair of radial arms for controlling the alarm, one of the said radial arms cooperating with the said lateral arm for controlling the alarm, and a latch slidably mounted, having a nose for engaging with the said second finger and an arm for engaging with the said sec- 0nd radial arm for controlling the alarm, and a push-button device mounted on the casing, and positioned suitably to operate the said latch.

THOMAS B. STEPHENSON.

WVitnesses JUNIUS Z. DOUGLASS, FRANK WOOSTER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for flve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

